The Tracy Silverman Project brings classical and rock together at The Coterie, Dec. 1

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Modern music listeners might not indulge in classical concertos as often as pop and hip-hop. The electric guitar is today’s instrument of choice when it comes to delivering top tunes.

But, why not a violin?

This weekend, Kokomo will have an opportunity to experience a melding of genres as Tracy Silverman, a pioneer of music performed with an electric violin, appears in concert on Sun., Dec. 1, at The Coterie, 107 W. Sycamore St. His band, The Tracy Silverman Project featuring Roy “Futureman” Wooten, will begin playing at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.

“I started out as a classical violin player,” said Silverman. “I graduated from Juilliard School in New York, but I was always interested in and a big fan of rock bands. So, I started designing and building and commissioning electric six-string violins back in the ‘80s. I was one of the first guys to build them and play them.

“It may not seem very significant that the violin has six strings instead of four, but there are two lower strings that allow me to be able to do what guitars do.”

Silverman plays the violin in an unorthodox manner. Typically, a bow is drawn across the violin strings in a fluid motion, causing the notes to smoothly blend together. But the “strumming” technique Silverman developed allows the instrument to produce the musical style pop and rock tunes require.

“I've written books about the technique to try to teach string players how to groove and how to play like guitar players,” said Silverman.  “There's a lot of thirst these days in string community for playing stuff that isn't just classical music from hundreds of years ago. That's what inspired me in the first place.”

Silverman took his electric violin from Mozart and Bach and applied it to Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. The result was a career that carried the musician for 40 years across multiple bands. Currently, The Tracy Silverman Project features Roy “Futureman” Wooten, a five-time Grammy Award winning drummer, as well as Tracy’s son, Toby Silverman, on guitar, and Tim Camp on bass.

The group’s repertoire is rather eclectic, but centers around the funk and rock genres, with the violin contributing chords in one moment and rhythm the next. It’s quite a departure from Silverman’s formal training at Julliard, but he never abandoned those roots. The musician has performed in virtually every major venue, from Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall to Disney Hall, the Lincoln Center, and even Nashville.

Crossing boundaries between musical genres is Silverman’s mission, and Kokomo will get a chance to hear the results. But the violinist tailors the band’s set lists to the reception from the crowd.

“I want to show rock fans that there's some cool stuff you can do with an electric violin and also bring some sophistication of composition and form into the music,” said Silverman. “It's a completely different set list than playing a concerto in Carnegie Hall. It's going to be funky. We're going to read the room to see what they're down for.”

The Tracy Silverman Project featuring Roy Futureman Wooten performs live at The Coterie on Sun., Dec. 1. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the concert begins at 8 p.m. The Coterie is located at 107 W. Sycamore St. in downtown Kokomo. For more information, visit www.kokomocoterie.com, call 765-450-5002, or email kokomogibson@gmail.com .